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Energy saving lamps: Airing out upon breakage is be-all and end-all
New research by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has shown that airing a room immediately and thoroughly when an energy saving lamp breaks can avert any health risks posed by mercury. Manufacturers should include this safety advice on all packaging, says UBA, whose President Jochen Flasbarth also sees a need for improving the break resistance of energy saving lamps. Flasbarth comments, “Splinter shield models with a plastic or silicone jacket now offer an advantage in that they make safe clean-up of broken lamps easier. Yet there is still a need for lamps from which mercury does not escape upon breakage in the first place.“ UBA also found evidence in its latest findings that considerably less mercury escapes from energy saving lamps engineered with amalgam than from those containing liquid mercury. UBA still believes the phase-out of light bulbs resolved by the European Union (EU) is appropriate. Says Flasbarth, “The light bulbs in use to date waste too much energy.“ Starting 1 September 2011 standard light bulbs of more than 40 watts - which includes the popular 60-watt lamp- may no longer be marketed. read more
